The OSCE Mission to Moldova will hand over four sets of technical equipment to the Military Observers of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces on behalf of the Republic of Moldova, of the Transnistria region, Russian Federation and Ukraine at the meeting of the Joint Control Commission (JCC) on Thursday, 22 March. The equipment, consisting of notebooks, color printers, GPS tracking devices and photo cameras, was purchased at the request of the JCC to improve information exchange between the Military Observers and the JCC about the situation in the Security Zone.

“As has been noted by the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Franco Frattini, the JCC and the Peacekeeping contingent are not only about ensuring security, but they also have to ensure the freedom of movement in the Security Zone. I hope the donated equipment will help the JCC to achieve this objective,” said Ambassador Michael Scanlan, Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova. “In this regard, I note the recent public statement by the Transnistria's leader that no expansion of terminals or checkpoints will take place near the Gura Bicului-Bychok Bridge. I hope this commitment will be reflected in a JCC Protocol Decision,” concluded Scanlan.

In keeping with the spirit of the newly opened Gura Bicului-Bychok Bridge, free flow of vehicular traffic across this crucial civilian transportation artery is closely interlinked with the freedom of movement, as Frattini stated in his press release of 16 March.

The OSCE Mission to Moldova has been participating in the JCC since 1994 as an observer and patrols throughout the Security Zone.